Page 21 of From That Moment

“Hello, Paris, it’s Detective Buker. I have some news for you.”

As he began to speak, my body sagged as I leaned against the post in front of the door. I wondered how in the hell this had happened. It couldn’t be happening.

Screams and burns and shouts. Hard slaps and slices. Little voices and cries. It all came back to me, but I didn’t tear up. I stood there, shocked, sweat almost pouring down my body.

And when I hung up the phone, I wondered what the hell I was going to do.

And then Prior was there, his hands on my shoulders. I knew he was saying my name over and over again, even though I couldn’t really hear him. It took me a minute, and then I looked up at him and swallowed hard.

“Paris? What is it? Is it one of the girls? Is it Joshua?” he asked, speaking about Dakota’s son.

I pulled away, needing space, needingsomething. I didn’t know what exactly that was. “No, they’re okay. I...I need to go home, though.”

“I’m going to drive you.”

“No, you can’t. Your car is here.”

“Let me text my brothers and see what they can do to help me out. You’re not driving in this condition.”

I nodded, hating that I felt so small, hating the way I didn’t have control.

I heard him talking to Macon and Nate. Apparently, they said they would come and get my car and take it to my place. They had the address from Hazel. It was just another way I knew that, somehow, we were all becoming one large group, all the connections so close.

There were things they didn’t know about me, things I never wanted them to know. But now it was all coming back.

“Come on, let me get my car. I’ll take you home.”

“They need the keys,” I whispered.

“Macon is pulling in right now. I’ll get them to him.”

I hadn’t even realized that any time had passed. I hadn’t even paid my half of the bill.

What was wrong with me?

I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, couldn’t do anything.

More time passed, and then Nate was there, and the guys gave me concerned looks. I couldn’t focus on them right now, so I ignored them.

And then I was in Prior’s car, somehow buckled in and on my way home with Prior. He had such worry on his face that I turned away.

I needed to breathe, needed to think.

Because the man who had killed my sister was out of prison.

The asshole who had tortured me, who still gave me nightmares, who had ruined everything in my life was out.

And I knew it was only a matter of time before I saw my father again.

Chapter 5

Prior

I frownedat all of the food I’d bought for the day and wondered if I had too much of it.

“Hey, are the eggs ready for the best part of the meal? The deviled eggs?” Nate asked from my side.

I looked over at him and realized that no, I hadn’t madeenoughfood.